2.7 – Using Text Inside ChatGPT Image Gen Lesson

Lesson Overview

Adding words straight into an image can make designing ads, social posts, buttons, or mockups quicker and easier. With recent improvements in GPT-4o, ChatGPT now does a much better job of handling simple text requests in images compared to earlier models like DALL·E 3, where working with text was unreliable. You’re now able to generate visuals that feature short phrases or single words—helpful when you need a product mockup with a brand name, a digital ad with a bold call-to-action, or a button for an app interface.

Still, there are important limits: The technology is best at adding just a few clear words. Requests for longer sentences or highly stylized fonts will be hit-or-miss, and perfect accuracy isn’t guaranteed. For workflows needing perfect brand alignment or pixel-level quality (say, for print ads or product packaging), the best option remains to create room for text in your initial image and then finish the design with a specialist tool. In this lesson, you’ll learn exactly which approaches work well, what to avoid, and how to get the most value from this feature today.

Who This Is For

Adding text to AI-generated images is most useful for people creating content quickly but who want some control over basic visuals. This lesson will help you if you are:

• A marketer or advertiser making mockups or digital ad concepts
• A designer putting together social media visuals
• A business owner or entrepreneur producing quick product previews
• An educator creating instructional graphics or posters
• Anyone needing event flyers, signage, or promotional artwork
• Users wanting to understand ChatGPT’s creative boundaries with text

Where This Fits in a Workflow

You’ll use this approach at the start of your design project, to get a working version of your image including essential phrases or branding in place. For example, you might generate a product ad mockup with “Hydrate” on a bottle or a T-shirt with “Focus” printed on the front. Event promotions can feature titles like “Eighties Night Party” in bold style, and app concepts may show buttons labeled “Start.” These can act as drafts, shareable for team feedback or audience testing. When bolder customization or flawless detail is needed, export the AI-generated artwork and complete the finishing touches using a design suite.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Previously, adding text to AI images was hit-or-miss—long sentences or special fonts often led to gibberish or broken layouts. Now, GPT-4o handles short words and phrases directly in your prompt, saving you time setting up quick drafts. For situations like a T-shirt design, event poster, or notification button, this simplifies the process compared to manually layering text in a photo editor. It’s especially helpful when you need dozens of variations with slightly different wording, or when showing a client fast iterations. If fidelity and typeface precision are critical, using this feature as a starting point followed by manual editing means you spend less time on the basics and more on the finishing touches.

Practice Exercise

To test your skills, try designing a new product mockup with text included:

1. Open ChatGPT and start a new image prompt—example: “Create a product mockup of a white coffee mug on a table. Add the word ‘Energy’ in bold blue letters on the mug.”
2. Review the generated image. Check if the word displays clearly, and adjust your prompt to use even shorter or different wording if needed.
3. If you require more precision or a stylized font, try importing the image to Canva or Photoshop and add your final text there.

**Reflection:** How well did ChatGPT handle your text request? Did keeping the phrase short improve accuracy?

Course Context Recap

This lesson builds on earlier techniques for generating effective images with ChatGPT. Now, you’re learning how and when to add words directly into your visuals. In previous lessons, you explored core image concepts; next, you’ll move toward more advanced creative uses or integration steps. Continue with the full course to discover more strategies for professional-quality AI-powered image creation.